


Waiting & Practice

by Kiiratam



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, Bumbleby Week 2020 (RWBY), Canon Compliant, Comfort, F/F, F/M, Yangst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-06-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:21:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24567604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiiratam/pseuds/Kiiratam
Summary: Early in the morning, Yang's waiting on the front steps of the Mistral house. Nora isn't who she's waiting for, but she shows up first.Written for Bumbleby Week 2020, Day 5: Affection/Love Languages.Takes place between Volumes 5 & 6. (My BMBLB fic index)
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Lie Ren/Nora Valkyrie
Comments: 12
Kudos: 79





	Waiting & Practice

"You look like you really need that coffee."

  
Yang jolted awake, nearly falling off the front step, sloshing most of her coffee onto the ground.

  
"Mistral's already awake, Yang! Don't waste any more coffee on the ground." Nora grabbed her ankle, stretching out her leg. She was in her workout gear, and, from the amount of sweat, had already finished her morning run. The sun was above the horizon - for all that meant, this high up - and birds twittered in the nearby greenery.

  
Draining what was left of her coffee, Yang tried to bludgeon her brain awake. "Morning, Nora." At least the coffee was on the ground, not her leg. She set her mug down. "I had trouble sleeping."

  
_Why'd I tell her that? Too early. No brain/mouth filter._

  
Nora snorted. "Suuuure you did. Maybe because you stayed up late playing videogames with Blake. You know, _instead_ of going to bed."

  
_How did-?_

  
Yang figured it out. "You checked my achievements."

  
"I mean, _yeah_ , but not, like, on purpose. I just have notifications on, so I can keep up with everyone." Nora switched legs. "How's the new expansion?"

  
"Tough. I was just going to see how far I could get alone. Then Blake showed up."

  
"Uh huh. Not planned at all. You just both _happened_ to be awake in the middle of the night." She had a knowing smile on her face.

  
"Fine. Whatever. Believe what you want. I need more coffee anyway." Yang stood up to go back inside.

  
"Hey, wait!" Nora bounded forward, nearly face to face with Yang. "She's back. Doesn't that make everything okay? I mean, Blake left, and now she's back." She separated the two states with her hands. "That was the problem, right? Aren't you happy she's back?"

  
It was too early for this much Nora. Yang didn't even know where to start or what question to answer. She closed her eyes and turned away, sinking back to the step.

  
"Hey, it's okay." Nora put an arm over her shoulder, squeezing her tightly. "I guess it's more complicated than I thought, huh? "

  
Swallowing the tightness in her throat, trying not to completely fall apart on the front step, Yang nodded.

  
"Do you want to try to talk about it? Or I can talk about it. Or something else? Oh, I had a really weird dream! It was _bananas_." She paused for a breath, and added, in a lower tone. "No, I mean there were bananas everywhere, and hamsters, and monkeys, and-"

  
Nora cut off when Yang took a deep breath.

  
"I'm glad she's back."

  
"Okay, good! That's a good first step! You don't hate her! I mean, it would really weird if you did, with all the time you two spent together, but people can be really weird sometimes, and it has been a craaaaaaazy year, so if you were a little weird from it that would make sense. We're getting somewhere, just tell me what you think when you think of it." Nora kept her arm tightly wrapped over Yang's shoulders.

  
Yang took a few slow breaths, leaning into the support Nora offered. "I missed her. A lot."

  
"I mean, she's your partner! Imagine how crazy I'd go if I didn't have Ren to talk to. I'd probably be crawling through dumpsters, looking for pancakes!"

  
"That... would probably happen."

  
Nora nodded confidently. "So you've haven't spent time with Blake in a year! Things are going to be weird!"

  
"Thanks, Nora. That's really calming me down. " It was not.

  
"Weird doesn't mean bad! I mean, take Ruby. She's weird. No normal person would decide to walk to Haven Academy from Vale!" Nora paused. "Mainly because we had to take at least two boats, and Ruby was surprised by it."

  
Yang nodded. "Yeah, Ruby's never been great at navigating."

  
"And also I may have lost a couple of maps." Nora stretched and twisted, her joints popping. "Where were we?" She asked it with surprisingly lightness. Giving Yang a way to steer the conversation.

  
"I just..." Swallowing, Yang forced the words out. "I don't know how long she's going to stay this time."

  
"Oh." Clearing her throat, Nora asked, "Didn't she say she was staying?"

  
"Yeah."

  
"You're just not sure if she's only saying that, or if she actually means it."

  
She couldn't get a response past the catch in her throat, but Yang managed to nod.

  
"I mean, what are you going to do if she tries to leave? Tie her up? Beg her to stay? Try to go with her?"

  
Yang pulled her legs up, wrapping her arms around them. "I don't know." She breathed in, held it, let it out. "I was okay. She was gone, and I was okay. I missed her, I wanted her back, but I was okay. And now she's back, and I'm not okay." Trying to keep her breathing steady, she buried her face in her knees. She couldn't do anything about her crying anymore. But at least the tears were just leaking out, she wasn't sobbing.

  
Nora grabbed onto her shoulder again, pulling Yang close. 

  
After a few weepy minutes, Yang ran out. Or got through it. She wasn't sure, but she was recovered enough to wipe her face clean and lower her legs. "Sorry, Nora." Yang tried to smile. "I'm always this much of a wreck before coffee."

  
Nodding, like having a breakdown first thing in the morning was perfectly normal, Nora asked, "Did you want me to get you another cup?"

  
"I'll get it." Everyone else would see Nora with a cup of coffee and panic. "We've still got twenty minutes before practice starts."

  
_But I don't feel like moving yet._

  
"What're you doing out here alone, anyway? Needed some quiet time?"

  
Yang swallowed. "Blake said she was going to start coming to practice."

  
"Oh. You talked about that last night?"

  
"Yeah."

  
"So are you waiting to say good morning? Or waiting to see if she shows up?"

  
Nora just had all the difficult questions this morning. "It depends if she shows up."

  
"Yang. You can't do this to yourself."

  
"Do what?" It came out rougher than Yang had intended.

  
"Just - are you going to be an optimist about this, or a pessimist? Is the glass half empty or half full? Do you think Blake is going to show up, or not? Are you going to trust her to keep her word? Pick one."

  
"Why?" _I'm acting like a child._

  
Nora huffed in exasperation. "Because you won't make any decisions! And if you get into that habit, you're going to freeze in a fight, and none of it will matter to you anymore." Her voice got thicker. "And I really don't want to lose another friend."

  
The birdsong filled the silence between them.

  
Yang found Nora's hand, squeezing it tightly. And, Nora being Nora, she responded with more force, so Yang had to increase her grip -

  
She caught Nora's eye. "We should probably save this for practice."

  
"Yeah, probably. It's more fun with an audience."

  
"And we're haven't done your unarmed review yet."

  
Nora snorted. "Oh, I figured you were just scared."

  
"Of _you_?" Yang stuck out her tongue at her friend.

  
"Sooooo... are we going to wait for Blake?"

  
_Breathe in, hold it, breathe out._ "Yeah."

  
"I can stay out here, if you want to get her tea, or something."

  
"I, uh, don't actually know how she takes it."

  
"Oh." Nora screwed up her face. "Ren might know. Or Weiss."

  
"I'm sure she's already had tea." Yang elbowed Nora. "And not everyone thinks with their stomach, like you do."

  
"I do not! There's just no point in complex stuff if you don't know where your next meal is coming from." She patted her stomach. "Ren understands."

  
"Speaking of, he's been making pancakes a lot." _And they're sleeping in the same room._

  
"I'm a growing girl."

  
"Nora, you've been the same height for as long as I've known you. And," Yang jabbed Nora's abs, "You're clearly not growing outwards."

  
"Packing on muscle mass."

  
"Yeah, but _where_?"

  
Nora shrugged. "Dunno. Not my problem."

  
Yang wasn't even sure where to start with that, so -

  
Blake was coming down the street. Still without her bow. Her coat and Gambol Shroud's ribbon stirred in the morning breeze.

  
Quirking an eyebrow at her silence, Nora followed the direction of her gaze. And waved at Blake. 

  
She waved back, and hurried over. "I'm not late, am I?"

  
"Naaaaaah." Nora stood up, and stretched, re-popping all of her joints. "We've still got time. Weiss would be out here yelling at us otherwise." She twisted her neck, letting out a deeply alarming series of cracking noises. "Oh, that's better."

  
Blake took a few steps forward and placed her hands on Nora's cheeks, tilting her head back and forth. "Nora, I think you need oiling."

  
"Yeah, probably. Or more maple syrup. I'm gonna try the syrup first."

  
Yang snorted. But she couldn't think of anything to say. She stood up; they could all go inside. And everyone else could say hello to Blake, and give Yang more time to think about what she could say, what she wanted to say.

  
Heading for the door, Nora said, "There might be some pancakes left. Or some of Weiss' "healthy" breakfast." With Nora, they were more air claws, and less air quotes. "Or Pumpkin Pete's. Have you eaten?" She'd turned to address the last bit at Blake, the door half open.

  
"I did. Couldn't get out the door without my mother insisting that I have breakfast."

  
"I like your mom already." Nora went inside, yelling for the rest of the house that, "Blake's here!"

  
Blake's top ears twitched at the noise.

  
_What did she do with her bow?_

  
And Yang didn't have time to dwell on that, because Blake was reaching out a hand towards her. Towards her hair.

  
Yang took a half step back, leaning away. Enough so that Blake would have to shift her balance. To commit to forcing contact.

  
Blake drew her hand back, closing it and letting it fall by her side. She at least had the grace to look apologetic. "Do you know what Ruby had planned for today?"

  
Blowing out a breath, Yang shook her head. "She's probably scarfing down breakfast. Safer to ask Weiss."

  
"Okay." Blake tried to meet her eyes, but Yang stooped down to grab her coffee mug.

  
"I need to get changed." She gestured down at her pajamas.

  
"Oh. Right. Can I get your mug?" Blake raised a hand, palm up.

  
"I got it."

  
Nora called from inside. "Blake? Weiss has, like, a whole stack of things for you to look at."

  
"Coming!" Blake gave Yang as last hopeful look. "See you in a few?"

  
Yang forced her answer out. "I'll be right back." She started for the room she shared with Ruby.

  
_Blake's back. She's here to stay._

  
_She promised._

  
_I'm going to trust her._

  
_I need to trust her._

  
_I do trust her._

  
_...I'm just really bad at it._

  
_But that's why we practice. To get better._

  
Yang took a deep breath, held it, let it out. She went into her room, and started changing into her workout gear.

  
_Start small._

  
_I trust Blake to be at practice when I get there._

  
_Build from there._


End file.
